Five ways to fix the dumbest rule in football the ringer. Muff article 5 a muff is the touching of a loose ball by a player in an unsuccessful attempt to obtain possession of it. Nfl fumble return td yearbyyear leaders profootball. Nfl official explains why one of footballs worst rules.
Nfl official defends fumble recovery call in redskins game. If the ball is fumbled behind the ball carrier, then the offensive can run with it. This question has me a little perplexed because i know the answer for high school football but not nfl. Fumbled hearts was one delicious, angsty roller coaster of a ride. Sep 07, 2011 mike pereira, the former nfl vp of officiating and now ingame rules analyst for fox sports, lists the five rules most frequently misinterpreted by fans and the media. The nfl doesnt know what a catch is and now seems confused about fumbles, too the craziness surrounded jets austin seferianjenkins, whose touchdown was overturned and ruled a fumble. If any player fumbles after the twominute warning in a half, only the fumbling player is permitted to recover andor advance the ball. Are nfl players allowed to purposely fumble the ball forward.
Imagine a team is on offense at their opponents 20 yard line. When team as fumble goes out of bounds behind team bs endzone, it is ruled a touchback. What happens if a fumble goes out the back of the scoring end zone. Browse other questions tagged rules nfl or ask your own question. Serious question what is the purpose of ruling a fumble out. As a practical matter, it will potentially reduce, but not increase, the number of total fumbles charged to a player. Evolution of the nfl rules the custodians of football not only have protected its integrity, but have also revised its playing rules to protect the players, and to make the games fairer and more entertaining. The ground cannot cause a fumble when the player in possession is down by contact from an opponent. Oct 01, 2009 i assume that for a more experienced reader with a serious interest in the game, this book would be a wonderful resource. I would have had this book finished way sooner but as you know life got on the way.
Whats the justification for this rarelyinvoked nfl fumble rule. The game kobe bryant showed off vs michael jordan, epic duel highlights 1997. In the field of play, if a catch of a forward pass has been completed, after which contact by a defender causes the ball to become loose before the runner is. Nfl slightly revises definition of fumble profootballtalk. Why the nfl cant seem to get the enforcement of its rules right is still baffling. Six years after the heartwrenching nfc championship loss, dungy. Its not considered negative points on an offensive player unless they lose the fumble. Sep 18, 2009 rule 8, section 1, article 3, item 1 of the nfl rule book page 51 states that if a player goes to the ground in the act of catching a pass with or without contact with an opponent, he must maintain control of the ball after he touches the ground, whether in the field of play or in the end zone. Sep 07, 2017 the nfl released its rule book for the 2017 season, which means its a big day if youre the kind of person who wants to pore over a 93page pdf with field dimensions in it.
Kicking a ball in player possession is a foul 1219. Whats the justification for this rarelyinvoked nfl. A quick reference guide to the official nfl rulebook. If a player pretends to fumble and causes the ball to go forward, it is a forward pass and may be illegal 812pen. New rules in the national football league, as in any sport, are often enacted in. Where the word illegal appears in this rule book, it is an institutional term of art pertaining strictly to actions that violate nfl playing rules. But while the nfl nixed the most controversial part of its rulebook, that.
I wish that an insider with al davis or robert irsay had written such a book. Why not give the ball back at the spot of the fumble, same as when the ball goes forward out of bounds. Anything goes, said jets veteran defensive lineman trevor pryce. It gets down to the goal line, and youre ready to celebrate a touchdown. Qb hands it off, the running back takes off downfield and a defender dives for him at like the 5. A second forward pass from behind as goal line is caught by offensive end a1 at the a8, where he is tackled. Then my teammate ran over, picked up the ball, and ran for another 10 yards before being tackled. Fumbled hearts was one of a kind and i couldnt put it down from start to finish. As the rule is written, it should be a penalty every time. It is not meant to connote illegality under any public law. The ground cant cause a fumble because when the player hits the ground with any inner joint the play is dead. No the real reason the rule exist is because it carried over when football was adapted from rugby. In rugby it makes sense because a lose ball that goes oob is restarted where it went oob, but since that isnt true in the nfl, the rule is illogical but has never been changed. To answer your questions, the rule is to discourage intentional fumbling.
Earnest byner the fumble the destination for all national football leaguerelated video on the web. When a runner goes down on his own, the ground can cause a fumble, and the ball continues in play. The nfl has made several altercations to the rule book this season. The clear fumble early in the game should have been an easy call. It is a sport built around moments of intense, exciting action, followed by the suspense of waiting for the next play to. The location of the inbounds lines is 709 for professional football, 600 for college football.
Show your team affiliation pick your teams logo in the sidebar. Nfl rules state that the ground cant cause a fumble. Is it still a forced fumble if the team forcing the fumble, does not recover it. Jul 05, 2018 the nfl has made yet another rule change heading into the 2018 season. That only applies if the runner is going to ground after contact. If a ball is fumbled in a teams own end zone and goes. Nothing off limits in scrum at the bottom of nfl pileup.
New rules in the national football league, as in any sport, are often enacted in response to repeated onthefield actions or bizarre incidents involving a specific player or coach. The rule was put in the rule book after the raiders beat the chargers on an intentional forward fumble in 1978. A fumble in american and canadian football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed tackled, scoring, or going out of bounds. This edition of the official playing rules of the national football league contains all current rules governing the playing of professional football that are in effect for the 2017 nfl season. Why not rule it as down at the spot of the fumble, or at worst place it on the 25 yard line with no change of possession. Oct 02, 2009 the game kobe bryant showed off vs michael jordan, epic duel highlights 1997. The nfls convoluted rules cost the jets a touchdown, and maybe a win the referees technically made the right call when they ruled austin seferianjenkinss late fumble a touchback. The destination for all national football leaguerelated video on the web. Nfl must rewrite the new helmet rule, now profootballtalk. If an offensive player fumbles the football and it. The complete nfl rulebook can be found in the nfl operations rules section at. Robinson died of a heart attack on october 24, 1972 in stamford, connecticut.
What the nfl rule book says about the national anthem. Football question offensive fumble into the end zone. While the call and spot at the end of the game on grahams catch and run was correctly upheld because evidence to overturn was inconclusive, the explanation that further footage was used was. It was added following the 1978 season in which the famous holy roller play occurred.
We present them here for purely educational purposes. The use of the term fumble always means that the ball was in possession of a player when the act. Questionable 2019 nfl playoff officiating decisions what. All general rules for fourthdown fumbles apply to the try see 875. By rule, the failure to make a first down on fourth down is a change of possession. Once the season was over, the rule as you have quoted was put into effect. The phrase, lateral pass, does not exist in the nfl rule book. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful handing that results in loss of player possession. Can a player intentionally fumble the ball out of bounds.
The nfl youtube channel is your home for immediate ingame highlights from your favorite teams and players, full nfl games, behind the scenes access and. If defensive player is gathering the fumble but hasnt retained 100% possession is the ball considered out of bounds if the offensive player makes contact with the ball when he is touching out of bounds. Cleveland browns running back duke johnson fumbles the football and the washington redskins recover it. Game and player highlights, news stories, team and playerrelated features, fantasy football videos, nfl event coverage. The nfl has made several altercations to the rule book this. Nfl will again revisit most unfair rule in the game. The nfls rule book says that a player has possession if he has a firm grip and control. But what is the purpose of having a fumble out of the opponents endzone be ruled as a touchback and change of possession. Can a player intentionally fumble the ball out of bounds to stop the clock. Its also available for hockey, basketball and baseball.
In the field of play, if a catch of a forward pass has been completed, after which contact by a defender causes the ball to become loose before the runner is down by contact, it is a fumble, and the ball. Welcome to the extra point, where members of the nfl s football data and analytics team will share updates on leaguewide trends in football data, interesting visualizations that showcase innovative ways to use the leagues data, and provide an inside look at how the nfl uses datadriven insight to improve and monitor. Hes been on the wrong end of the nfl catch rule, and he knows how. Oct 05, 2016 nfl official defends fumble recovery call in redskins game, despite bad visual. At what point does an incompletion become a fumble.
Nfl fantasy your source for fantasy football when theres a fumble, all rules are gone. If the offense fumbles the ball forward and the offense recovers it, the play is whistled dead and the ball is placed at the spot of the fumble. Nfl football operations protects the integrity of the game by ensuring that the rules and the officiating are consistent and fair to all competitors. If a player were running close to the edge of the field and was to get tackled without being able to make it out, and wanted to stop the clock, could they just throw the ball out of bounds in order to stop the clock, and have it be counted as a fumble.
The overturn of the josh cribbs fumble was correct accruing to the rule book, but it seemed. The nfl video rulebook explains nfl rules with video examples. An intentional fumble that causes the ball to go forward is a forward pass and. Nov 10, 2006 the reason the ground cant cause a fumble is because when the ballcarrier hits the ground, the play is over. Game and player highlights, news stories, team and playerrelated features, fantasy football. Apr 09, 2018 heres how the nfl rule book defines a forward pass.
Single game leaders only reflect years for which we have complete boxscore data 1950 onward, all playoff games, and all 100 yard rushingreceiving or 300 yard passing games from 19401959. The original rule, which first appeared in the rulebook in 1938, stated. Therefore, there is no time out charged, although a2 must leave the game for one play unless a time out is called. I hope we can figure out how to use it more successfully. Sep 26, 2015 125 responses to nfl will again revisit most unfair rule in the game. If you fumble out the end zone you should lose the ball. Welcome to the nfl rule book, where 50 shades of gray titillate and frustrate, all at the same time. Every week during the season, well send you an email to your inbox with scores, this weeks schedule, top performers, fantasy drops and adds, new debuts and interesting tidbits. Her first book, intercepted, was inspired by the eight years she spent as an nfl wife. Nfl fumble return yards career leaders profootball. On fields used primarily by the nfl, the professional inbounds lines should be 4 inches wide by 2 feet long.
If your a fan of sports romance with a sexy, cocky alpha hole of a hero. It is not a fumble if the player immediately regains control of the ball. I dont think anyone would intentionally fumble if this were the rule. Offensive player has part of his body out of bounds. Trying to figure out our playoffs and it comes down to this play. Nfl official explains why one of footballs worst rules exists in the first place. If a fumble goes forward and out of bounds, the ball is next put in play at the spot of the fumble by the team that was last in possession. Build your own custom leaderboards with the play index. If you fumble and then you reestablish possession of the ball in the end zone, its a score. If you fumble out of your own endzone, sure, that should be a safety. If a pass is thrown from beyond the line of scrimmage, unnecessary roughness may apply for action against the passer. So, if you fumble it forward into the end zone and your teammate recovers it, you retain possession at the point of the tackle.
This edition of the official playing rules of the national football league contains all current rules governing the playing of professional football that are in effect for the 2016 nfl season. There is no 10second run off, because the clock was stopped for the penalty. Rule 12 player conduct section 1 blocking, use of hands, arms, and body legal and illegal block article 1 a player of either team may block obstruct or impede an opponent at any time, provided that. It is not meant to connote illegality under any public law or the rules or regulations of any other organization. I give the book high marks for the presentation of the facts, many of which would otherwise have escaped the historical record. A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed tackled, scoring, or going out of bounds. Sep 25, 2017 the meme claims that page 6263 of the nfl rule book dictates that during the national anthem, players must stand, face the flag, hold their helmet in their left hand and refrain from talking. Nov 06, 2009 ok, so i was playing a game of football with my friends, and this kid tackles me and i fumble it before i hit the ground, but the ball falls in front of me in bounds, and the play isnt dead. The history of the nfls catch rule, which no one seems able to fix. The six rules that could spark the next nfl officiating crisis the. If i catch a ball and become a runner then the ground cannot cause a fumble, dungy said. Serious question what is the purpose of ruling a fumble. Why is a fumble that goes out of bounds on the sideline return to the fumbling team, but a fumble that goes into the end zone get considered a touchback. Nov 15, 2017 five ways to fix the dumbest rule in football when an nfl player fumbles the ball out of bounds through the end zone, it automatically results in a touchback.
Taking a shot at the end zone is essentially a risk in the rule book, with the reward naturally being a. Clowney said it was not, and he is the only person who knows whats in his heart. Alternate college lines, if they are to be included, should be 4 inches wide by 1 foot long. Member clubs of the league may amend the rules from time to time, pursuant to the applicable voting procedures of the nfl constitution and bylaws. When can you get up again after falling on the ground.